How do animals get "people" diseases? Have animals always been so vulnerable to the diseases that normally affect humans? I haven't heard of animals getting things like cancer or diabetes until recently. Could it have something to do with the food that we feed them?

I don't think it is something new. Animals had these diseases before, and died from them, but people just did not know that. Vets have become more available, and they have become better with diagnosing these conditions. Before that, it used to be, "Oh, our dog got sick and died."

I find it really interesting as well and I'm not sure, to be honest, how this works. It's weird that they can catch some of the things we have, but then they can't get other things..

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-Brittany Brydahl

Viruses and bacteria cause diseases and these micro-organisms are not limited to just humans. What you call a "human disease" is basically the spreading of this virus in an animal organism. It's nothing new, neither is it anything surprising.

That makes since, of course. It's just that in the old days, you didn't hear about a cat with diabetes, so I'm not used to it. Hearing it these days just sound strange. I am glad that animals can benefit from better cures and treatment.

It is not that animals get PEOPLES DISEASES..
The thing is, animals do have a similar anatomy as that of ours , so they are at the same risk of having diseases as we are.
In some diseases they prove to be resistant and become reservoirs for few disease causing agents, and in turn spread diseases to humans.